Will the roaring 20s be the decade of the mineral processor?

As we enter a new year and a new decade what will be the main issues facing the world and the mining industry? Predicting the future is an impossible task, but it is fairly evident that climate change will be high on the agenda.

Few people now deny that climate change is a reality, but some question whether the current extremes of weather are due to natural climate cycles, totally due to human influence, or a combination of the two?

Interestingly 10 years ago, as we prepared to enter a new decade, the debate was as controversial as it is now. The main protagonist for a natural geological cycle was Prof. Ian Plimer, Emeritus Professor of Earth Science at the University of Melbourne, who contributed a long argument against anthropogenic global warming (AGW) on the blog in October 2019.

In the opposite corner, providing a strong case for AGW, was Prof. Stephan Harrison, an earth scientist who is Prof. of Climate and Environmental Change at the University of Exeter in Cornwall.  Ten years on, a recent paper by Prof. Plimer in The Spectator shows that his views have not changed and he concludes with "evidence from the past is why geologists regard human-induced global warming as total nonsense."

I am not altogether sure that there is such a consensus among geologists; I know some that do advocate a natural cycle, others that don't, and Plimer's arguments have been refuted by many reputable scientists, who accuse him of distorting or ignoring published research on many topics, and that his claims are not supported with evidence or peer-reviewed research.

Many scientists believe, maybe instinctively, that the cause lies between the two extremes. The basic problem is that the science is so immensely complex that maybe we will never know the exact cause, but we do know the effect, and if we believe that humans are at least part of the problem, then we should be doing something about it.

And we, the mining industry, will play a huge part if 'zero carbon' is ever to be attained. Leaving aside the ludicrous demands of Extinction Rebellion, the UN Paris Agreement requires humanity to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by the middle of this century and the UK has committed to attain this goal by 2050, the first major economy to do so. My article of 21st July last year cast doubts as to whether this is attainable, as to attain these goals will put enormous demands on what are very finite resources of raw materials.

In supplying the raw materials to build electric vehicles and renewable energy sources, as well as providing suitable alternatives to oil and gas for heating home and offices, the importance of mining cannot be over-emphasised and the most important technology within the industry is, and increasingly will be, mineral processing.

Mining activity must step up a few notches in order to attain the zero carbon goals but all at a time when grades of ore mined are falling and the mineralogy becoming more complex. Mineral processing has to adapt to these changes, and as well as treating primary ores, there must be more emphasis on treatment of secondary sources, such as old tailings, and also on recycling, which is fairly easy with metals such as copper, but tremendously difficult with some of the hi-tech metals found in tiny amounts in computers and mobile phones.

Ironically the mining industry is one of the most energy intensive industries. The energy problem will most likely be solved this century by nuclear fusion, but it is doubtful whether this will be viable by mid-century as a replacement for fossil fuels, as truly formidable engineering problems have to be overcome, so efforts must be made to reduce the energy which is consumed in mining and processing.

The most energy intensive component of mineral processing is comminution, and every effort is being made to reduce energy consumption in crushing and grinding, and this is highlighted by the programme for MEI's Comminution '20 conference in Cape Town in April. The conference begins with two keynote lectures on comminution energy, and energy is the focus for the whole of the first morning.

Comminution '20 is the first of five MEI conferences this year which are all pertinent to the increasing importance of mineral processing. Sustainable Minerals '20, in Falmouth in June, recognises that the rapid growth of the world economy is straining the sustainable use of the Earth's natural resources due to modern society's reliance on raw materials, and will highlight the crucial role of mineral processing in the quest for a circular economy.

There is much overlap between Sustainable Minerals '20 and Biomining '20 which immediately precedes it. Biomining '20 will focus on the latest developments in biohydrometallurgy and bioprocessing, not only for primary ore processing but for novel resources, such as mine and electronic wastes, and the bioremediation of mining-impacted environments.  The provisional programmes for these two conferences will be published later this month, so it is not too late to submit abstracts.

Falmouth, the venue for #Biomining20 and #SustainableMinerals20

A few decades ago, the metals which we now call Hi-Tech Metals, such as the rare earth element neodymium, were relatively unheard of.  Lithium was essentially a curiosity but the demand for this once minor metal will increase with the continuing development of electric vehicles. The rare earths and lithium are primary mined, but some of the once minor metals, such as gallium, germanium and indium, which are essential for our modern way of life, are by-products of base metal mining.

The importance of all the 'Hi-Tech' metals cannot be overestimated and in October the 2nd conference on the mineral processing and extraction of these metals, Hi-Tech Metals '20, will be held in Cape Town, and will be immediately followed by Process Mineralogy '20, focussing on an area which is of increasing importance as mined ores and secondary deposits become ever more complex.

And to end the first year of the new decade the International Mineral Processing Congress will be in Cape Town in October, following the two MEI Conferences. This will be a great opportunity for minerals engineers of all disciplines to come together to discuss future needs and problems.

Cape Town, the venue for #Comminution20, #HiTechMetals20, #ProcessMineralogy20 and #IMPC2020

On behalf of us all at MEI, I would like to wish you all the very best for 2020, and we hope to catch up with as many of you as possible during the year.

@barrywills